Haunting past but there's HOPE for a new start
by Cre8ive101
Summary: 21st Century, Will and Jem are all at the Institut- A school for young scholars. The past still continues to haunt Tessa, but can her new friends help? Or will these new friends only make things worse?
1. NEW START

**FIRST CHAPTER IS INTRODUCTIONS TO WHAT'S HAPPENING ETC. I TRIED TO INCLUDE LITTLE LINKS HERE AND THERE BACK TO THE INFERNAL DEVICES FOR YOU GUYS TO PICK UP ON ;)**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

Tessa fumbled with her new key. She finally opened the door to her new dorm room. Luckily she had her own room, no roommates which meant no one to bother her with questions about where she came from or her parents or anything else. She felt thankful, that there was no one to see the tear that was falling down her face. She studied the room; it had a lively atmosphere to it, which wasn't what she had expected. Based on novels she had read, of which there was plenty, she had expected drab, white walls and uncomfortable, hard beds. She sat down on her bed now, which surprised her with its softness. ' _This is nice',_ she thought to herself, _'this new start is exactly what I need.'_

She heard a bell ringing twice. She predicted it signaled the start of breakfast at the canteen, as headmistress Charlotte Branwell had informed her about. Charlotte had been quite welcoming, and surprisingly authoritative for how young she looked. She had also explained the terms of my partial scholarship. After the death of Aunt Harriet, a solicitor had visited her and Nate and discussed the contents of her will. She had left Tessa some significant amount of money, which -in her will- she had explained Tessa's parents had given. Tessa knew why Aunt Harriet had left this money; Aunt Harriet had wished for Tessa to go to the Institute of London, that is 'Academic Scholar's Institute'. So here she was, on wish of her Aunt Harriet and to escape, at this Institute, on partial scholarship.

"So where do you want these?" A voice startled her. She turned around in alarm so quickly that the stack of books she was still struggling to hold onto, finally fumbled over and the heavy hardcover vintage edition of the 'Tale of Two Cities' fell hard against the stranger's leg.

"Fuck!"He winced. "I don't think there'll be much welcome for you here if the other girls knew that you bruised such perfection that is me.". Tessa looked taken back, unsure of what to say to this unexpected display of cockiness.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-" was all she could manage.

"Oh American,..This isn't how all girls treat gentlemen, such as myself, in America is it? .. Alright well, tell me where to put this box." Will replied. Tessa pointed at the space under the desk, which was placed near the window. As he carefully placed the box, Tessa noticed his dark hair and broad shoulders. He stood back up, and he discovered his deep blue eyes. ' _My God, he's so hot. He would belong to some novel, not in my bedroom.'_ This thought suddenly led to another ' _Ergh from the way he talks, he's probably already slept with half the girls here.'_ Tessa scrunched face, disgusted, and quickly pushed those thoughts aside.

"I'm Will Herondale by the way. Welcome to the institute" He smiled, and Tessa couldn't help smiling back.

"Tessa, Tessa Gray"

"Well, I'll see ya around Tess. Although, I'll appreciate it if you didn't damage me any more" Will picked up the book that injured him, and handed it back to Tessa. He winked and left the room.

* * *

Unpacked and after a wash, Tessa laid down on her bed; she was hungry but too exhausted to walk over to have breakfast. Staring at her ceilings, her mind began to wonder. ' _Would they find her here? Could she really leave everything behind?'._ Her thoughts stopped abruptly, as she noticed a soft sound of violin coming from somewhere outside her room. Curiosity got the better of her, and she couldn't help walking towards the sound. She creaked open the huge wooden door. Before entering, she read the metallic plaque that read:

 **MUSIC**

"I OFTEN THINK IN MUSIC. I LIVE MY DAYDREAMS

IN MUSIC"-ALBERT EINSTEIN

She entered the room to find a guy. His hair had a silvery glisten and and as he opened his eyes, she saw they had the same silvery glint. She didn't want to interrupt his music.

"Will? W- Oh sorry, I thought you were someone else. You must be the new girl right? I'm Jem"

"Hi. I really like what you are playing! My name is Tessa.."

...

* * *

 **-1 WEEK LATER-**

Tessa had met with most of her dorm neighbours, but she quite liked Sophie. She met Sophie during PE when they both showed an interest in hockey. From there, they discovered that their rooms were right next to each others. She also befriended Cecily who lived across from her room. I had partnered up with Jessamine in Textiles class because according to her I "seriously need a makeover, and lucky for you I'm going to offer my help"

She found most of her classes strangely foreign, but she quickly picked up the routine. At lunch, she sat with these two girls Sophie and Cecily, but more often that not, Cecily would be absent-busy with extra training of some form or other.

Today was Sophie's boyfriend, Gideon's birthday. The four girls were all dressed up- Jessamine had taken care of the styling, and Sophie had done Tessa's hair. They walked straight into the party; the door was open and music blasted from inside. There were ofcourse many drunken teenagers, but only some that she had recognised from her classes.

After some time, Tessa found herself standing in the corner. The others had gone to talk to other friends and catch up.

"Hey!" It was Jem. Tessa felt relieved to finally talk to someone else.

"Oh Hey! How are you?"

"Good good yea..You?"

"First week is almost gone! And it hasn't been too bad, so I'd say pretty good too actually!" Tessa replied smiling softly.

"That's great to hear! Well,... it is a party so let's go dance"

* * *

 **GO AHEAD AND READ THE NEXT CHAPTER! BUT I HOPE THIS FIRST CHAPTER WASN'T TOO PLAIN AND INTRODUCTORY, NEXT CHAPTERS ARE BETTER I PROMISE :) LEAVE A REVIEW - LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND WHAT LITTLE THINGS YOU'D LIKE FOR ME TO INCLUDE IN MY FUTURE CHAPTERS.**

 **:D Now go on reading!**


	2. UNEXPECTED

**_THIS CHAPTER WAS ORIGINALLY A PART OF CHAPTER 1, BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO LONG... THINGS FINALLY START TO HAPPEN IN THIS CHAPTER, AND WE CAN FINALLY GO AHEAD WITH THE ACTUAL STORY :)_**

 ** _ENJOY!_**

* * *

 _I don't know what changed, but suddenly in the middle of the dancing Jem started coughing violently._

"Oh my god Jem, are you okay?"Tessa looked at him worriedly.

Jem couldn't stop coughing. Out of nowhere, Will was immediately kneeling next to Jem. ' _Where did he come from?'_ Tessa thought.

Jem stopped coughing, and looked relaxed again. He noticed the worried look on Tessa's face. "Don't worry, I'm fine. I just need to go home though, I'm so beat! Goodnight!"

"Ok, goodnight!"

"I had fun, we should hang out again sometime!" Jem yelled out as the loud music resumed and the room that had paused for Jem, returned to its wildness. He waved at her and left. Will glared at me for a brief moment, then vanished after Jem. I was left alone in the middle of the room, with a bunch of concerned strangers.

Sophie had noticed the chaos, and came back to the ask Tessa "What the hell just happened?". Just as she was about to speak back, a hand on her shoulder turned her around. Will.

"Jem's okay. He just went home now"Will commented. _How was it that a moment ago, Will was glaring at her and now he's as calm as still water?_

"Oh Okay, that's good." After a moment's pause she continued "So what's the deal with you and Jem?"

"He's like a brother to me. He's always been there for me, and he's my best friend"

"Wow! That's so nice!" _nice? What did i say 'nice'? Wait, what kind of accent is that voice?_ "Where are you from? - I mean, your accent sounds British but-"

"I'm from Wales-"

"Oh! ..Wait a minute! Are u related to Cecily?!"

"yes, That would be my brat little sister"

"Oh wow I didn't even know! I mean, I knew she had a brother and sister but I didn't realise that you were her brother...Cecily says your sister was quite beautiful and kind but she doesn't remember much of her"

Will tensed. He didn't like thinking about her. Why was Cecily telling everyone about their family! "I don't want to talk about my sisters right now.."

"But I mean you must remember her right? I lost my aunt recently-but maybe it's not the same, because it was your sister. She must've been beau-"

"I said I DON'T WANT to talk about her."Will said firmly, startling Tessa. Will's mood changed dramatically within mere seconds. "You're quite nosy aren't you?! I said I don't want to, and I'm not going to Tess...It's my turn to ask questions now." Will said with the corner of his mouth quirking up.

Tessa noticed a change in Will's tone, and she already knew she didn't like it.

Will was set on not talking about his sister, but something told him that she would not so easily give up her inquisitiveness. No one usually so boldly asked about his older sister, and now that she was he felt unsure of what to do. But his internal mechanisms took action. "So how far have you gone with a guy?"

"Um Wha-what?" Tessa was shocked. Coming from Will, it shouldn't but just a moment ago, things were calm and now it's like he wanted a storm to brew.

Will chuckled softly, "First, second, third base?" He gave a stiffled laugh again that made Tessa's insides twist, in a bad way. "Have you ever kissed a guy? Because maybe I could help you out - if only I just leaned in-"Will words stopped abruptly as Tessa grabbed a coke can from a girl passing by and let the contents out over his head. _Curse that jerk! He was right, I hadn't even kissed a guy before._ But his words were like poison, that instead of paralyzing her,they made her want to slap his face. This is exactly what she did, right in the middle of his furious swearing at her. "good for nothing bi-" The slap stopped him from finishing his sentence, but Tessa finished the sentence in her mind, and the words kept ringing and bouncing against the walls within her mind; they suddenly brought back some harsh memories. But Tessa quickly pushed them down before they could resurface, and stormed out of the party. Sophie immediately followed, right after giving Will a gesture with hand that sent the message of what she wasn't saying out loud.

* * *

- **WILL-**

Something about this girl just wound him up so much. He needed to keep away from her, for his own sake. He couldn't risk her knowing, what he had so cleverly hidden from many for such a long time. Even his best friend Jem didn't know. And this Tessa wasn't going to change this.

But his feelings towards Tessa are strong. He just can't figure out if these what these feelings are, and are they good or bad?

* * *

- **Few days later-**

Right now, she was sitting down with only Sophie. It was then that Jessamine came from behind "Your week is almost up!"

Noticing my confused expression, she elaborates "Oh come on! No one has told you yet? I'm surprised. I guess they aren't really into it this year. Ok so every time there's a newcomer, we have a bonfire. But there's a cemetery close by and at 12 at midnight, they'll carry you there and you have to survive the night. Pretty simple really."

Tessa's eyes widened. "What the hell?! Why?! I thought initiations aren't a thing anymore.."

"Calm down my little Tessa. But if you want to put up with these classes for a whole year, you'd want to spend this night. Trust me, they will not let you live this down if you turn chicken. Plus I've told you everything that happens anyway! Usually newcomers don't even knows about the cemetery!"

"I'm not a chicken! And you're right I guess." Tessa sighed. "I guess I'm going to a cemetery then." Now, she was just expecting the dreaded invite. She didn't have to wait long.

As she was walking back to her room, Will passed her and then ran back to catch upto her. "Hey beautiful"

 _Ergh why does he need to constantly be so disgusting. But why does a part of me still flutter at the thought that he said I'm beautiful. God Tessa, don't be such an idiot!_ Tessa thinks to herself. "Hi" Tessa replied coldly.

"So we're having a bonfire tomorrow, are you coming?"

Tessa was still annoyed at him, but she figured this would be a chance to figure him out. If she was going to have a spotlight at this bonfire, then she should use his undivided attention to her advantage. And plus, refusing to go would be admitting cowardliness. "Sure, yep" Tessa replied. Will eyed her suspiciously but said nothing else.

* * *

 **OOO I'M NOT SURE HOW I FEEL ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WILL AND TESSA AT THE MOMENT, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY GOING TO TAKE A SHARP TURN IN THE NEXT CHAPTER SO READ ON!**

 **ADD A -REVIEW- MAKE SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT YOU'D WANT JEM'S BACK STORY TO BE :D**


	3. BONFIRE

**JUST A NOTE THAT IN THIS CHAPTER ABOUT A DAY HAS PASSED SINCE LAST CHAPTER.**

 **JUST READ ON! :D ENJOY!**

* * *

- **MIDNIGHT-**

Two girls and two guys came from behind Tessa and tied her hands back. Somehow she knew then that Jessamine's prediction that everyone was "not into it this year" is not accurate. Tessa struggled as the four held her still as a horrible concoction was being poured over her. She caught sight of Will by the corner of her eyes, and realised he was smirking. _I have to make it through the night, to wipe the smug look off his face._ She smelled rank.

Now she was being dragged off to the cemetery. Her hands were still bound. She looked around for Sophie but she was not there, neither was Cecily or Jessamine for that matter _. Will's smug face had something to do with this._

Soon the cemetery gates were being locked behind her. It wasn't a particularly cold day, in fact the air was quite hot. Tessa was atleast glad that she wasn't going freeze to death. Then soon after, the hollering and yelling stopped, and the music disappeared. Now, she was alone.

She looked around. There were tombstones and some trees a little further back. But Tessa decided to sit down next to a small shed.

* * *

 **-30 minutes passed-**

A creak made her stand up. She looked around. There was nothing there. But as she was sitting back down, a voice so piercingly thin came from -nowhere- almost as if it were the wind.

" Hello Tessa. Did you really believe you could outrun us?" The voice sent chills down her spine. _NO! This is not happening! This is just my paranoia._

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Tessa screamed back to the voice, that she recognised as the torturous voice of Mrs Black.

"Now now dear, is that how you treat me? After all that I have done for you?" Now MrsBlack was in her view. Tessa's eyes widened, and she held back a scream. MrsBlack was still a significant distance away from Tessa but Tessa could suddenly felt cold and vulnerable and scared-no- terrified.

Tessa slowly began to back away, but soon broke into a run towards the gate; the path was difficult and blocked by tombstones. She ran anyway. She was crying hard now, big wet tears were rolling down her face without her noticing. She turned back, and MrsBlack was no longer in her sight. But Tessa still felt her presence like a knife against her throat. _Where is she?! Where is she?!_

She finally reached the gates, but they were too tall and her slippery hands struggled to climb herself over.

* * *

"Who knew! I guess our little Tessa isn't as brave as she claims to be!" Will's smug voice along with him appeared into from behind the pillars that were supporting the gate. Tessa was surprised to see anyone else here. "What? You think we'll just leave you unguarded for you to just climb over? ...Well-" He chuckled, "U obviously can't so we shouldn't have worried"

"WILL, YOU BETTER OPEN THIS GATE NOW!" Tessa glanced back,and caught a shadow. _No No No "WILL! OPEN IT NOW!"_

Will raised an eyebrow. "I must say I'm surprised. I expected a better effor-"

"Will PLEASE JUST FUCKING OPEN THE GATE!"

"Ok Jeez! Aren't you such a buzz kill!" As soon as Will unlocked the gate, Tessa ran out and locked the padlock behind her. Then she was straight out of there, not looking back. She was crying more now. Will suddenly realised how panicked she was. "Hey Tessa wait!" Tessa didn't. She kept running. "TESSA! Just hold on!" Will ran up and caught her arm. Tessa struggled to get out of his firm grip. "Tessa just calm down for a minute! It's just a joke!"

"LET GO! DON'T EVEN TALK TO ME!" Tessa yelled back. Will winced. She was frantically looking around, hoping now not to see that wicked face. She was crying and finding it hard to breathe.

Will was very concerned now. He genuinely hadn't expected her to be so affected. He couldn't figure out why she was so frightened. Guilt was rising up within him. "What happened? What happened?"

"Why do you care?! Just leave me alone!" And finally her legs couldn't support her anymore, and gave away.

Will caught her, and held her up. "Woah Tess, let's just sit down for a moment. Let's go sit by that bench" _How had the night turned around so quickly?_ _One moment, Will and Tessa were seemingly arch enemies and now he was trying to reach her thoughts to help her out of her frightened state._ His stomach curled, and he felt the need to hold Tess against him and tell her everything is alright.

"No, no ...not here.. please let me go.." Tessa pleaded.

"Come on Tessa, you can barely stand."

"No I can. I - I ..." She broke into a choking cry. Her breaths were short and stifled. She was chocking now, as if she had forgotten how to breathe. She folded in on her self, and then threw up.

 _'How could I have done this to her? This is all my fault. Why do I have to destroy everything around me..' Will thought._ "Tessa just breathe, you are having a panic attack. Just take slow deep breaths." Will advised. Worry filled him, and his guilt was poisoning him. And something else too.

Tessa shook her head. "Will I don't want to be here. I don't want to be here!" Tessa muffled out.

Will hesitated, then just nodded his head.

Will walked her over to his car, unlocked the door and helped her in. Tessa didn't seem reluctant, just limp. _What have I done?_ Will's mind whirled around thoughts of his sister, and then back to Tessa. He quickly drove off from the cemetery, and then after a silent few minutes they arrived at the institute. "We're back at the institute now, it's OK." Will waited patiently for a reply, but he didn't get it. Exhausted, Tessa simply pulled herself out of the car and hurried towards her dorms. This time, Will didn't follow her. He didn't have to right to, not after how he had just terrified her in such a brutal way. Not after he saw her paled face. He simply sat back, numb from the memory of the night that repeated in his mind.

 **:O I hope you enjoyed that chapter, this is probably one of my favourite chapters :) I just want to make some things clear so that no one is confused. Will does NOT know who MrsBlack is or that her presence was what terrified Tessa, and not this initiation test. So, poor little William Herondale is going to be a little anxious and guilty ;) Give me some thoughts on what elements from the original Infernal Devices series you'd like for me to add into the future chapters. -PLEASE REVIEW- I can't read your thoughts everyone, so type it so I can know how to make this better for you all to enjoy. ;D**


	4. REGRET

**Just continuing on from where I left off in the last chapter :)**

 **Enjoy! Please leave me a REVIEW, I want to hear what you guys think and how I can make this story better!**

* * *

 **-Will-**

He suddenly propped his head up from the steering wheel, and it dawned on him that Cecily and Sophie were still locked up in his room. They would've interfered with the plan, so Will had trapped them there and run off with the key, a little earlier that night.

Tessa was no longer in his sight. As much as he knew he didn't have the right to go after her right now, he knew who should.

Stepping out of the car, Will ran towards his own dorm room and stood before his door contemplating the wrath that he'll be unleashing when he opened it. Never the less, Tessa needed them right now, and he had to let them go at one point or other anyway or he'd be sleeping on the floor.

Running his hand through his hair, he unlocked the door quickly.

What was infront of him was not what he had expected but two sleeping innocent faces without the faintest clue as to what was probably going on upstairs.

* * *

- **Tessa-**

 _How did she find me?! Honestly did you really think you can outrun them?_ Tessa wanted to cry more, but she had no more tears after crying so much and her eyes were dried up.

She finally reached her room, and opened the door with a weak push after unlocking it. She fell against the softness of her bed and buried her face in the pillows.

Shutting her eyes did not help the uneasiness in her stomach; the feeling of being trapped with nowhere to escape...

Her body gave in, and offered her more tears. The warmth of the tears engulfed her and she felt a strange sense of security trough the familiarity of this warmth. As with her body, her mind gave in only a few minutes later...

* * *

- **Will-**

She shook them both, maybe even a little too hard. They both woke up at the same time, dizzy by this sudden interruption.

Cecily was the first to punch him. "You! What the hell Will! Lock us in your room?! That's low even for you!"

Standing up Sophie joined in immediately-yet in an obvious groggy state-, "I will kill you! Where's Tessa you bastard?! I-"

Will cut her off, "Just SHUT UP and listen! You can punch me all you like later, but Tessa ran off into her room. She's pretty fucked up, I think she was having a panic attack earlier. I tried to help her but- but anyway I think this whole thing was just too much for her. Now go! She really needs you guys right now.." He was looking neither of them in the eyes, just down at his own shoes covered in a little mud.

Sophie and Cecily looked at him with wide eyes. _What the hell just happened? Does her brother actually feel 'sorry'?! This is an eventful day.._ Cecily thought, and Sophie's thoughts also somewhat mirrored hers. Sophie opened her mouth but closed it as quickly as she had opened them. Instead, she grabbed Cecily's hand and ran out of his room pushing past the unfamiliar distraught looking Will.

Will stood there alone in his room, with his mind whirling around. He felt lost and so unsure of what to do. Lying back down on his bed, his mind only seemed to focus on one word, _'Tessa'._

* * *

It was Sophie who flung the door to Tessa's room open. Cecily pushed both inside to find her on sprawled out on the bed, her hands in a fistful of tangled mess of hair.

 _"Tessa?"_ Sophie whispered softly next to her ear. But she was disappointed to receive no reaction. Infact, she seemed completely unconscious, and Sophie and Cecily both looked at each other in alarm.

* * *

 **Sorry everyone! This wasn't exactly my best attempt and I know it is so short but I'll try to make up for it in my next chapter hopefully! Nothing much did happen in this chapter but I promise that the next chapter will be much better :D**

 **I'll try to upload a chapter a day, but please send me some feedback so I know how I'm going. :) Till next time, Happy reading!**


	5. Should I update?

**Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't uploaded but I don't know if I should continue this story or not. Maybe it's better left like this, but if anyone does want me to continue I can try :) Thank you for reading my story so far..**


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